Latest / NFL Power Rankings / #1: Bills time to shine; Confidence in 49ers; Cowboys under-the-radar?

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#1: Bills time to shine; Confidence in 49ers; Cowboys under-the-radar? · NFL Power Rankings

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Speaker 1: NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in
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Speaker 1: partnership with I Heart Radio. What is of everybody? Welcome
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Speaker 1: into NFL Power Rankings. I am your host, Colleen Wolf,
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Speaker 1: and I'm sitting with the man that has all of
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Speaker 1: the power. He's heard all of the power puns that
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Speaker 1: there could possibly be at this point, so the only
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Speaker 1: thing that's fresh are his rankings. Dan Hands is what's up?
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Speaker 1: We haven't done this yet where I'm hosting and you're
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Speaker 1: the alys. I'm uncomfortable here in the Chris Wessling podcast
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Speaker 1: studio to not be what's known. I like that it's
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Speaker 1: called this the power chair. You have a direct line
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Speaker 1: of sight with the producer. So I am you've You've
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Speaker 1: already got me on my heels and it's a new
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Speaker 1: era for the Power Rankings. Had so much fun doing
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Speaker 1: with Matt money Smith. But now we are launching the
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Speaker 1: podcast Rankings podcast. So you're listening to this, Yes, subscribe,
1:04
Speaker 1: I'm for surely tell your friends. And I have to say, Connie,
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Speaker 1: I think this is my fourth year doing it for
1:11
Speaker 1: NFL dot com and the idea of knowing anything in
1:17
Speaker 1: this sport at this time of year is insane. There's
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Speaker 1: no like I'm in charge of putting an order to
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Speaker 1: these teams. I'm not telling you it's right. In fact,
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Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you I'm not right because guess what.
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Speaker 1: Last year my number thirty team is exact time in
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Speaker 1: the calendar was the Cincinnati Bengals. And does that does
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Speaker 1: that mean I'm an idiot? Well yeah, but that has
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Speaker 1: nothing to do with the power rings. That just shows
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Speaker 1: you how crazy the NFL is, how things can change quickly.
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Speaker 1: So if you're a fan of a downtrodden team, you
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Speaker 1: could be the next Bengals. Like I am excited to
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Speaker 1: see I'm I'm excited to be wrong. Wow, this is
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Speaker 1: a big moment. I would like to treat this whole
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Speaker 1: show like a therapy session. We're going to talk about feelings,
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Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about emotions, and we're gonna talk about
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Speaker 1: what these teams did to you. So specifically, we will
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Speaker 1: get to who the Bengal two are coming up a
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Speaker 1: little bit later in the show. I do, though, want
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Speaker 1: to start with your favorite teams here and Dan, you're
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Speaker 1: already getting a little cute off the top with the
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Speaker 1: Bills number one, because that spot traditionally is for the
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Speaker 1: super Bowl winner. Um, so you know, tell me about
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Speaker 1: your love for the Bills here and why zigged when
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Speaker 1: other people's egg did. I though, I feel like the
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Speaker 1: Bills are a lot of people's Super Bowl pick this, Um,
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Speaker 1: they are mine as well. I think they will win
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Speaker 1: the whole thing and get over the hump. There's your
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Speaker 1: kiss of death. Sorry, Western New York. Uh, it's just
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Speaker 1: to me. When I look at this roster, it just
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Speaker 1: feels like it is their time and they have obviously
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Speaker 1: a loaded offense with Josh Allen out front. I loved
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Speaker 1: obviously the von Miller move here, and I wrote about
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Speaker 1: on an NFL dot com the one the one thing
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Speaker 1: that concerns me is their secondary to start the season
3:02
Speaker 1: trade Debts White a c L surgery. He's on the
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Speaker 1: pup list. So you're gonna have a pair of rookies
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Speaker 1: and kier Elam and Christian Benford that on Thursday night
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Speaker 1: against the Rams. You know, Sean McVeigh and Stafford are
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Speaker 1: cooking things up to try to make them look bad.
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Speaker 1: So here's the good news. Those kids are gonna get
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Speaker 1: a chance to do something. Now I'm old enough for
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Speaker 1: a call kids. Those kids, they're gonna have a chance
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Speaker 1: to do something and um, when White gets back, hopefully
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Speaker 1: by week five against the Steelers, they might even feel
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Speaker 1: better about their secondary than they did last year. So
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Speaker 1: secondary it's the weakest link, no question about that when
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Speaker 1: you have to unproven options. I remember that. Some of
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Speaker 1: our listeners might not remember that, but that's okay. This
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Speaker 1: is a new chapter for us. You know, the kids
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Speaker 1: these days. But the Bills they have this deep talented roster.
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Speaker 1: They have a really good defense. Gabe Davis like lighting
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Speaker 1: it up. But have we seen the best of Josh
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Speaker 1: Allen yet? Like? Is this have we even tapped into
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Speaker 1: it at this? I mean I think we did actually,
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Speaker 1: really I think we did it. I mean the divisional
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Speaker 1: playoff game. I don't think he'll ever be better than
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Speaker 1: that in his career. And they still didn't win. But
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Speaker 1: it is what it is. So we're gonna see what
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Speaker 1: happens with him. Now the other side of this, now,
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Speaker 1: do you want to talk about the Rams? I mean
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Speaker 1: we're gonna well, I mean the Rams they are the
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Speaker 1: second team in your ranking, so that makes sense defending
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Speaker 1: Super Bowl champs. Le's talk about that because there's there's
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Speaker 1: a concern there too. Yeah, the elbow. Is that what
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Speaker 1: we're concerned about, you know, the elbow. They don't want
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Speaker 1: you to talk about the elbow, of course, and Dan,
4:34
Speaker 1: you know what happens when people say, don't be concerned,
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Speaker 1: don't worry about it. I worry about it even more.
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Speaker 1: They they, they being the Rams and everyone in their orbit,
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Speaker 1: are telling you don't even think about the elbow. The
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Speaker 1: elbow does not exist. But let's let's be honest. The
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Speaker 1: elbow exists. That is a elbow that gave Matthew Stafford
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Speaker 1: trouble last year is he had a procedure after the season.
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Speaker 1: They basically kept him in mothballs throughout the summer. But
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Speaker 1: what happens if I'm Thursday night, Josh Allen, the afware
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Speaker 1: mentioned lights out, Josh Allen, there's a shootout going on.
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Speaker 1: Stafford's gotta throw forty babies, Like, how does he respond
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Speaker 1: to that physically? And let's face it, the Rams are
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Speaker 1: cooked if that elbow gets worse, So it's they they
5:21
Speaker 1: You could hide in the NFL, You could hide things
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Speaker 1: that you don't want the public to see throughout the
5:25
Speaker 1: entire summer, especially with preseason now being what it is.
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Speaker 1: But we're gonna see what's really going on with with
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Speaker 1: Matthew Stafford physically Starting on Thursday, That's what I'm excited
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Speaker 1: about because we'll actually have a little bit of clarity.
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Speaker 1: We'll have can they can't, they can't, they can't hide
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Speaker 1: from the build. But also Matthew Stafford, this is an
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Speaker 1: issue I think that's bothered him for quite some time.
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Speaker 1: And he hasn't missed any time any game time since.
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Speaker 1: So this guy can play through pain. I mean, but
5:53
Speaker 1: he had a back thing, uh that cost him at
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Speaker 1: the end of his Lions career, but and the beginning
5:59
Speaker 1: of his career was banged up a lot, but he
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Speaker 1: went through a long stretch where he never missed games
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Speaker 1: and he was durable. Last year played through it and
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Speaker 1: was awesome in the playoffs obviously in the Super Bowl.
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Speaker 1: So Dan, I feel like though the Rams, even though
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Speaker 1: they're number two in the rankings, somehow this is nice
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Speaker 1: and chopping it up. Yeah, are you? Are you on
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Speaker 1: board now right now? Like I feel like there was
6:20
Speaker 1: a little bit of skepticism on your part. Um here
6:24
Speaker 1: we are, but we're getting there. We're doing this every
6:28
Speaker 1: week every week. You are contractually obligated to be here
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Speaker 1: with me every week through the Super Bowl. We're gonna
6:35
Speaker 1: hate each other by I don't know next week. But
6:38
Speaker 1: I feel like the Rams are somehow still underrated, even
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Speaker 1: though they're number two in the power rankings. Like they
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Speaker 1: are just coming off the Super Bowl. They have the
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Speaker 1: Triple Crown winner wide receiver, they brought in all of
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Speaker 1: these new people for the offense and the defense, Allen Robinson,
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Speaker 1: Bobby Wagner, like they have Sean McVeigh still cooking different
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Speaker 1: things up. This is this is a team that maybe
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Speaker 1: doesn't get enough respect as past Super Bowl winners. Yeah,
7:05
Speaker 1: and I will say a high ranking RAMS official reached
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Speaker 1: out to me during the playoffs last year, uh to
7:11
Speaker 1: basically call me a jerk for not having them higher
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Speaker 1: up in the playoff power rankings. People care the people.
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Speaker 1: People notice these things. And if if that same high
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Speaker 1: ranking RAMS official hates that they're not number one, I
7:24
Speaker 1: get it because they're the defending Super Bowl champions and
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Speaker 1: they have a loaded roster and you can make a
7:29
Speaker 1: strong case for them doing it again. I just think
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Speaker 1: the Bills are the best team in football entering the year.
7:34
Speaker 1: Things can change. As we said at the top, I
7:36
Speaker 1: am interested to see what will be more impactful losing
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Speaker 1: Von Miller or gaining Bobby Wagner. So maybe we'll get
7:44
Speaker 1: a little teased with that on Thursday. Yeah, I know,
7:48
Speaker 1: how about that? Just just hosting. That's all the power chair.
7:52
Speaker 1: Let's move and you're holding it over all, right, Um,
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Speaker 1: I got some questions here right smack in the middle
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Speaker 1: of your top five. The third best team in the
8:02
Speaker 1: NFL is also in the NFC West, and the Niners,
8:08
Speaker 1: not the Bucks, not the Bengals, not the Chiefs. Okay,
8:12
Speaker 1: well I got the Bucks. You know this. I don't
8:16
Speaker 1: look at my mentions well, especially on the first two
8:20
Speaker 1: days when the power ranks are out, because it's good
8:22
Speaker 1: for your mental health. I like that as one set
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Speaker 1: of oasis. Twitter is the playground of idiots, so I
8:29
Speaker 1: need to stay away from there a little bit. But
8:31
Speaker 1: at the same time, I already know a lot of
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Speaker 1: people like, how do you put the Niners at number three?
8:36
Speaker 1: You could there safer power ranking choices, and I saw
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Speaker 1: one from another major pub I check in on the competition.
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Speaker 1: These are the power rankings people are going to find.
8:46
Speaker 1: They're gonna have like notes on your dashboard on your car,
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Speaker 1: the parking lot at the grocery store. They couldn't find you.
8:52
Speaker 1: Brick goes through the window. But I saw in one
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Speaker 1: major publication they had the Niners I think at nine
8:57
Speaker 1: or ten, and I was like, I don't get that
8:59
Speaker 1: the tray Lands thing. If Jimmy G wasn't in the building,
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Speaker 1: maybe I would feel less comfortable. But I think Jimmy
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Speaker 1: G somehow still being a Niner is the safety net
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Speaker 1: that this team needed. And I don't know what happens
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Speaker 1: with um Trey Lance this year. He's a complete unknown
9:18
Speaker 1: and I don't know where he's at from a mental standpoint.
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Speaker 1: Can he handle the fact that he's got Garoppolo in
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Speaker 1: the building and those guys love Garoppolo Niners? He's he's
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Speaker 1: a quote winner and he's a great dude and all that. So, um,
9:31
Speaker 1: that's a lot of pressure on Lance. But imagine if
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Speaker 1: Lance does ball out with Kyle Shanahan, with Deebo, Samuel Brandon,
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Speaker 1: Aiyuk and Kyle Shanahan calling the plays. The defense is
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Speaker 1: what people sleep on. Last year, that was a top
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Speaker 1: ten defense according to d v o A on Football Outsiders,
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Speaker 1: and they did it without causing a lot of turnovers.
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Speaker 1: So imagine if they have some regression and get the
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Speaker 1: ball more and on top of it, Trey Lance balls out.
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Speaker 1: That's the recipe. I'm not not playing around here. Thirteen
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Speaker 1: and four type recipe. I love how much you love them?
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Speaker 1: Like this team. They were one game a way from
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Speaker 1: going to the super Bowl. Last game, in the fourth quarter,
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Speaker 1: they had it right and Jimmy grow Kyle Shanahan, he
10:16
Speaker 1: loves a run game, he loves a good defense. They
10:19
Speaker 1: have all this stuff. They have a deep, talented roster.
10:22
Speaker 1: I mean, you just have to take the training wheels
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Speaker 1: off your young, inexperienced quarterback. But I think that the
10:28
Speaker 1: Niners probably have the highest ceiling in the NFC. There
10:32
Speaker 1: you go, are you on are you on board? Well,
10:34
Speaker 1: of course, talking myself into it, well, the highest ceiling.
10:37
Speaker 1: I guess if I have the Rams ahead this week,
10:39
Speaker 1: I guess I had the Rams is like ceiling rankings.
10:43
Speaker 1: This is not the ceiling rankings, but it kind of is.
10:45
Speaker 1: Maybe it's a worse name for powering or maybe better.
10:48
Speaker 1: Maybe it's times someone else has a different name other
10:51
Speaker 1: than power Rankings. It's not the most brilliant name, but
10:54
Speaker 1: you trust that this team has a better shot than
10:57
Speaker 1: what twenty nine other teams to win the super I
10:59
Speaker 1: think they do have absolutely that type of ceiling. Yes,
11:03
Speaker 1: and uh, even if Trey Lance falls off, as long
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Speaker 1: as Jimmy g shoulder is healthy and facing, unless Lance
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Speaker 1: gets hurt early on, we hope that doesn't happen. Jimmy
11:12
Speaker 1: G is going to have time to get right physically
11:15
Speaker 1: and get reps in and and if he is called upon, yeah,
11:19
Speaker 1: then you have the same quarterback that almost got the
11:21
Speaker 1: Super Bowl last year, but now hopefully he has a
11:23
Speaker 1: healthy shoulder. I think they're in good position here, great Lance.
11:26
Speaker 1: I don't know if he's in a great position. He's
11:28
Speaker 1: probably a little bit nervous, a little bit, he said.
11:32
Speaker 1: Try actually likes having Jimmy in the buildings. He loves
11:37
Speaker 1: having a guy in the building that wants his job
11:39
Speaker 1: and has proven in the past that he can handle it.
11:41
Speaker 1: Like I would love it if my husband was like, actually,
11:44
Speaker 1: my ex is going to stay for a while at
11:46
Speaker 1: the house. M as it turns out, exactly, I don't
11:49
Speaker 1: think so. Has that ever happened? In full disclosure, John
11:53
Speaker 1: does not have an ex girlfriend. That's like casually living
11:56
Speaker 1: with us. But yeah, strange situation for sure. Okay, let's
12:00
Speaker 1: move to outside of the top five and to get
12:04
Speaker 1: back to that, it's a possible maybe after the show
12:07
Speaker 1: a different type of rankings. Let's move to the Packers
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Speaker 1: not in your top five. And you know, I'm not
12:14
Speaker 1: mad about this because the Bucks and the Bengals are
12:16
Speaker 1: ahead of them. Rogers said that he's enjoying football now
12:20
Speaker 1: after doing ayahuasca. But listen to the games. They haven't
12:24
Speaker 1: started yet. They haven't counted yet at least, So do
12:27
Speaker 1: you expect the Packers to stay at this level and
12:30
Speaker 1: continue to be a team that will eventually be in
12:33
Speaker 1: the playoff mix and eventually lose to the Niners in January?
12:37
Speaker 1: Well that's the thing. And uh around the NFL podcast,
12:40
Speaker 1: I had the Packers on tugboat time out this summer.
12:44
Speaker 1: I just didn't want to talk about them because they
12:46
Speaker 1: annoyed me. Just you know, Packers fans, I can't imagine
12:49
Speaker 1: how you guys felt about it, because after going through
12:52
Speaker 1: all they went through the last year, you get Aaron
12:56
Speaker 1: Rodgers delivers a second MVP award in a row, and
12:59
Speaker 1: then you let the Niners come into your house and
13:02
Speaker 1: lock up punt for a touchdown and make your offense
13:05
Speaker 1: looks stiff and it's just it was unbelievable what happened
13:08
Speaker 1: in the playoffs. So yeah, there's part of me now
13:10
Speaker 1: where it's I'm struggling, at least in September to shake
13:14
Speaker 1: that the Packers. Are they ever going to get over
13:16
Speaker 1: the hump that said it's all there again? I mean,
13:19
Speaker 1: you still have Rodgers there. I shouldn't say it's all
13:21
Speaker 1: there because Davante Adams isn't there. It's the big piece
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Speaker 1: that's not there. But Rogers is there, and it's a
13:26
Speaker 1: great defense, and and Matt Lafleur has done nothing but
13:29
Speaker 1: win at a high level since he got into this job.
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Speaker 1: So I still think they're by far the best team
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Speaker 1: in the NFC North, But I don't trust them in January.
13:38
Speaker 1: How could you? So? My counter argument to this is
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Speaker 1: that they lost Nathaniel Hackett, they lost their quarterbacks coach
13:44
Speaker 1: Luke getsy So, and they lost obviously their top wide
13:47
Speaker 1: receiver Davante Adams. So you have a lot of change
13:50
Speaker 1: there at the top. How are they going to make
13:52
Speaker 1: up for that? Production? Like, are you gonna are we
13:54
Speaker 1: gonna see more from the backfield? We're gonna see a j.
13:57
Speaker 1: Dillon and Aaron Jones catching passes more like what who
14:01
Speaker 1: was stepping up? Because in the preseason Aaron Rodders was
14:05
Speaker 1: crushing his wide receivers for drops, for running the wrong routes,
14:08
Speaker 1: And now all of a sudden, it's like, all he's
14:11
Speaker 1: crushing on a guy like Christian Watson, right, because he
14:15
Speaker 1: knows he needs Romeo or Christian Watson uh to make
14:18
Speaker 1: a year one impact here. And because the other Alan Lazard,
14:22
Speaker 1: Sammy Watkins, Randall cop I mean, Mari Rodgers, they might
14:26
Speaker 1: use as a running back like they're resorting to some
14:28
Speaker 1: maybe weird things. Did you but did you lay out
14:32
Speaker 1: there that the quarterbacks coach leaving could make a difference?
14:36
Speaker 1: You know, like Aaron Rodgers listens to any quarters, anyone,
14:39
Speaker 1: anybody at all. Maybe maybe he was listening to staff.
14:43
Speaker 1: I don't know. I mean, can I set up in
14:46
Speaker 1: power rankings on NFL dot Com. I set it up
14:49
Speaker 1: with questions for each team this week, and mine was,
14:52
Speaker 1: Canaron Rodgers make it all work? I kind of think
14:54
Speaker 1: he can. I think he'll figure out a way and
14:56
Speaker 1: he will develop one of these young wide receivers because
15:00
Speaker 1: he has to. And if he doesn't, yeah, they're going
15:02
Speaker 1: to come back to the pack's back. To the path.
15:05
Speaker 1: I do think though, that the Packers defense will actually
15:09
Speaker 1: be maybe talked about a little bit more than the
15:11
Speaker 1: offense to start the season, because I think that they're
15:13
Speaker 1: going to surprise a lot of people. They have like
15:15
Speaker 1: seven first round picks on that defense. With Zayre Alexander
15:19
Speaker 1: coming back healthy, I mean this, this could be really good.
15:21
Speaker 1: I can't wait to see them play the Vikings. If
15:23
Speaker 1: they don't find a way to get another ring, they
15:27
Speaker 1: got to do it before Rogers walks away and does
15:31
Speaker 1: ayahuasca for the rest of eternity while sitting on a
15:34
Speaker 1: surfboard in an island that we've never heard of. Part
15:37
Speaker 1: of that sounds great. Think about what Packers fans, how
15:40
Speaker 1: you're gonna feel twenty years from now that you weren't
15:44
Speaker 1: able to get over the hump. It's like that weird
15:46
Speaker 1: thing sometimes Packers fans will because I wrote this thing,
15:49
Speaker 1: I kind of feel like that right now. Yeah, Like
15:51
Speaker 1: I did this thing, Pain Rank Pain Rankings years ago,
15:54
Speaker 1: where I ranked the fan bases who have suffered the most,
15:57
Speaker 1: and every once in a while Packers fans would get
15:59
Speaker 1: my mentions be like what about us, and I'd be like,
16:01
Speaker 1: sit down, you know, you're talking to a Jets fan.
16:04
Speaker 1: But then I understand what they're saying because to get
16:06
Speaker 1: to the precipice so many times and get smacked down,
16:09
Speaker 1: that's a different type of fan frustration. Now is the
16:12
Speaker 1: time for them, This is their windows. They need to
16:14
Speaker 1: stop losing to the Niners. I mean that's, you know,
16:17
Speaker 1: first things first. But I do want to move on
16:19
Speaker 1: to the Chiefs because the team that hosted the last
16:22
Speaker 1: four an f C Championship games, they've won the division
16:24
Speaker 1: six straight times. They have been the powerhouse. They have
16:28
Speaker 1: been held up as the example in now what has
16:31
Speaker 1: improved to be the best division in football. But how
16:33
Speaker 1: did you land with Casey being four spots behind San Francisco?
16:38
Speaker 1: You hate the Chiefs? Yeah, I what did say? I
16:41
Speaker 1: hate him? But I think the division has closed the gap.
16:44
Speaker 1: And it's similar to Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers no longer
16:47
Speaker 1: has Damante Adams, Patrick Mahomes no longer has Tyreek Hill.
16:52
Speaker 1: So it's like those are both Hall of famers leaving
16:54
Speaker 1: their teams. But I think both those teams believe they
16:57
Speaker 1: could overcome such a loss because the quarterbacks are that special,
17:00
Speaker 1: like these are guys are potentially when they're done, will
17:02
Speaker 1: be seen in that top ten, top five ever quarterback.
17:06
Speaker 1: So it's I think it's about putting faith in Mahomes,
17:09
Speaker 1: finding new ways to move the ball, and not just Mahomes,
17:12
Speaker 1: but Andy Reid. Because you watched the a f C
17:15
Speaker 1: title game against Cincinnati. That was outrageous what happened in
17:19
Speaker 1: the second half of that game. It was so unlike them.
17:21
Speaker 1: And what I what it made me think was maybe
17:24
Speaker 1: now with Hill gone, this forces Andy Reid and Patrick
17:29
Speaker 1: Mahomes and the rest of that staff to kind of
17:31
Speaker 1: rethink things a little bit. Maybe it's time to mix
17:34
Speaker 1: things up. And with Hill being out of the picture
17:37
Speaker 1: that just like it makes you do it well, I
17:40
Speaker 1: think maybe it works out for him. Andy Reid would
17:42
Speaker 1: absolutely get his flowers if everything ends up being copasetic there,
17:47
Speaker 1: like he's known Andy Reid for evolving and changing the
17:50
Speaker 1: offense and and tailoring it to the players that are there.
17:53
Speaker 1: And then you have like Steve Spagnolo's Bags's defense always
17:57
Speaker 1: comes on late in the year too. So those two
18:00
Speaker 1: things I think need to start a little bit earlier,
18:02
Speaker 1: and they need to make sure that they have everything
18:05
Speaker 1: rolling to start, because it wasn't just the a f
18:08
Speaker 1: C Championship game meltdown in the second half as great
18:11
Speaker 1: as they were in the week before against the Bills
18:14
Speaker 1: in that incredible game, there were long stretches in the
18:17
Speaker 1: regular season where the offense was stagnant and the defense
18:21
Speaker 1: was carrying Patrick Mahomes and and the Chiefs. So yeah,
18:24
Speaker 1: they it's time for refresh with that offense. Let's see
18:27
Speaker 1: if we get it. Yeah, I I do. I want
18:29
Speaker 1: to know how much realistic regression is expected. Um, but
18:34
Speaker 1: this offense is still going to put up points no
18:36
Speaker 1: matter what. I think that Jujuice Smith Schuster, he could
18:38
Speaker 1: fit in nicely, and you know, we'll we'll see if
18:42
Speaker 1: Reid can adapt. But I mean otherwise they'll just be
18:45
Speaker 1: eating alive in the division. So that's believed. You see
18:47
Speaker 1: that happening, though I don't. The Chiefs getting beaten up
18:50
Speaker 1: and I can't see it. I don't not at all.
18:52
Speaker 1: I mean, this is Patrick Mahomes is too good and
18:55
Speaker 1: it's almost like what we talked about with Aaron Rodgers
18:59
Speaker 1: making everyone better around him. I think that that Patrick
19:02
Speaker 1: Mahomes has that same type of talent. And look, this division,
19:06
Speaker 1: it's a gauntlet and that's why it's our power moves.
19:09
Speaker 1: All for a f C West teams are in the
19:12
Speaker 1: top eleven, and they're also close. This is wild. This
19:16
Speaker 1: show is that I'm a man of principle and integrity,
19:20
Speaker 1: because it would have been cool right to have all
19:21
Speaker 1: four in the top ten one after the other. But
19:24
Speaker 1: I just in my mind I could not have the
19:26
Speaker 1: Raiders in that spot. So I don't know. There was
19:30
Speaker 1: just listen, you don't you don't need to know? Yes,
19:33
Speaker 1: I do that. I don't need to know the secret
19:35
Speaker 1: of the sauce, how it works. Do I have a
19:39
Speaker 1: machine like Cynthia Freeland in my boudoir now? But whatever
19:44
Speaker 1: I have that stays with me, that's the secret, Okay,
19:47
Speaker 1: all right? Well for me when I'm division, jeez, I
19:51
Speaker 1: guess I'm just gonna do the show with myself. Um.
19:54
Speaker 1: I talked myself in and out of these teams, sometimes
19:57
Speaker 1: multiple times a day, thinking okay, like, you know, maybe
20:00
Speaker 1: the Raiders are a little bit better, like, oh, I
20:02
Speaker 1: love the Chargers, but they always charge it up. Like
20:05
Speaker 1: I have a couple of questions here, like how difficult
20:08
Speaker 1: was this tier to to finally make official? How much
20:12
Speaker 1: anguish did you experience? I want to know the agony level,
20:15
Speaker 1: and then did you dock the Chargers a spot just
20:18
Speaker 1: for being the Chargers kind of? I guess yeah, because
20:22
Speaker 1: I do think talent wise, and I think Justin Herbert
20:26
Speaker 1: he's my pick to win m VP this year. Like
20:28
Speaker 1: if that. If I feel that way, I like their
20:31
Speaker 1: roster the best and I like their quarterback to win
20:34
Speaker 1: m VP, they should be ahead of all these teams.
20:36
Speaker 1: But I guess there is a bit of a bolts tax.
20:38
Speaker 1: Yeah I have here, but still not enough if you're
20:41
Speaker 1: a top ten team right now. I think any of
20:44
Speaker 1: those teams, if they won the Super Bowl would not
20:46
Speaker 1: be a surprise. So that's where I'm at. So, yeah,
20:49
Speaker 1: I have I have. It's all very tight. I think.
20:52
Speaker 1: I don't think one team is far ahead of any teams. Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers,
20:57
Speaker 1: and Raiders. I think it's all pretty tight. I don't
21:00
Speaker 1: know where do you what would be your ranking one
21:01
Speaker 1: to four for this division? So I was looking at
21:04
Speaker 1: the Chargers and I was thinking about putting them ahead
21:08
Speaker 1: of the Broncos, just because I know what Justin Herbert
21:12
Speaker 1: can do in this offense with the pieces that are there,
21:14
Speaker 1: and Brandon Staley, I know what he's going to bring
21:17
Speaker 1: he's always going to go for it on fourth down.
21:19
Speaker 1: He's going to be crazy like that. But there are
21:22
Speaker 1: a lot of knowns and with the Broncos, it's not
21:25
Speaker 1: like Russell Wilson is an unknown commodity here. But you
21:28
Speaker 1: have Nathaniel Hackett, a new head coach, a new quarterback
21:31
Speaker 1: on a new team. I just think maybe there would
21:34
Speaker 1: be a little bit of a learning curve. I don't know,
21:36
Speaker 1: maybe it's a week, maybe it doesn't happen at all.
21:38
Speaker 1: But for me, it's just like a consistency standpoint, I
21:41
Speaker 1: would put the Chargers ahead you. You definitely I overthought
21:45
Speaker 1: getting into You're getting into my mind a little bit
21:48
Speaker 1: with the Broncos where maybe I'm giving him too much
21:51
Speaker 1: credit right now for a team that hasn't played it
21:54
Speaker 1: down yet, and so stick him at number eight, mostly
21:57
Speaker 1: because Russell Wilson is a huge upgrade over Drew lock
22:01
Speaker 1: wherever else, Well, that's why I'm okay, and I'm I'm
22:04
Speaker 1: fine where I haven't. But at the same time, yeah,
22:06
Speaker 1: if it takes a while to get this thing on
22:08
Speaker 1: the road, or if the Russell Wilson that we see
22:10
Speaker 1: with the Broncos is similar to the guy that was
22:12
Speaker 1: a little up and down, and it's finally as a
22:14
Speaker 1: Seattle they are going to be one of the bigger
22:16
Speaker 1: disappointments in football. A lot is going to happen. This
22:19
Speaker 1: is gonna be the most exciting division to follow all
22:22
Speaker 1: season long. And it starts one NFC South. Yeah right there,
22:27
Speaker 1: right up there as well. Um, we're gonna take a
22:29
Speaker 1: quick time out here, but a ton on the way,
22:32
Speaker 1: including the Cowboys. Where are they? And why? We'll ponder
22:36
Speaker 1: more of life's biggest questions On the other side. Well, Dan,
23:01
Speaker 1: I have a little bit of a problem and it's
23:03
Speaker 1: called the Indianapolis Colt. I love them. You have them
23:07
Speaker 1: at number twelve and your rankings, you have the Cult
23:10
Speaker 1: of twelve, the Saints at thirteen. We're gonna get to
23:12
Speaker 1: them in a second, actually, but let's unpack the Colts
23:15
Speaker 1: a little bit here. You mad at me about the
23:17
Speaker 1: cults because we were on the SI weekly podcast with
23:21
Speaker 1: your husband Gonzo, and you just started throwing bouquets at
23:26
Speaker 1: the bouquets at the feet of the cults. Why do
23:28
Speaker 1: you like him? I love that. I don't hate him,
23:30
Speaker 1: but love them. I look okay, So they have the
23:33
Speaker 1: reigning rushing champion Jonathan Taylor. He is insanely good. He
23:37
Speaker 1: kept that team moving all year. They have a viable
23:41
Speaker 1: number one wide receiver in Michael Pittman Jr. Flash last year.
23:45
Speaker 1: They have a former MVP quarterback. I know that was
23:48
Speaker 1: very former. It was a long time ago. But you
23:52
Speaker 1: put him in front of this offensive or behind this
23:54
Speaker 1: offensive line with this running game, never be in front
23:57
Speaker 1: of the God. That would be terrible if he was.
23:59
Speaker 1: But two things that these might be the best of
24:02
Speaker 1: his entire career in terms of running game and old line.
24:06
Speaker 1: I mean, they brought in Yannike and Gockway. Nobody even
24:09
Speaker 1: really talks about that. I feel like that was an
24:11
Speaker 1: under the radar moving then Gus Bradley a little reunion
24:15
Speaker 1: between the two of them. They have good leadership, they
24:17
Speaker 1: have a great coaching staff. I just think that they
24:19
Speaker 1: have all of the pieces there to make it go okay.
24:22
Speaker 1: So the Matt Ryan thing is a bit of a projection.
24:25
Speaker 1: It it has been. Um I think part of it's
24:28
Speaker 1: all connected because Carson Wentz is such a I was
24:32
Speaker 1: gonna say polarizing, but it's not really polarizing. He's almost
24:34
Speaker 1: like a toxic figure. So and when teams. I don't
24:37
Speaker 1: mean that as a man, but as a quarterback that
24:40
Speaker 1: when a team that you thought, well, you know, I'm
24:43
Speaker 1: telling that the Carson Wentz hate in football terms extends
24:47
Speaker 1: pretty into reaches our our game at this point. But
24:51
Speaker 1: when he leaves the scene, it's like whoever comes in,
24:54
Speaker 1: the same thing with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, like whoever
24:56
Speaker 1: comes in all of a sudden, it's like, this guy
24:58
Speaker 1: is amazing. And the Matt Ryan that I saw last
25:02
Speaker 1: year with the Falcons, and I understand he did not
25:05
Speaker 1: have an offensive line. There weren't a lot of weapons
25:08
Speaker 1: for him either, um, but he also did look older
25:11
Speaker 1: and I don't know, as long as they protect and
25:13
Speaker 1: their offensive line stays healthy, I think he could be
25:16
Speaker 1: a good like late period Philip Rivers type quarterback, but
25:19
Speaker 1: I'm not ready to say he's going to be a
25:21
Speaker 1: big star. The bigger concern though, for me, is Shack Leonard,
25:24
Speaker 1: not Darius Shaquille Leonard, who is coming up back surgery
25:28
Speaker 1: and he is um avoiding the puplist, but we don't
25:33
Speaker 1: know when we're going to see him, and it was
25:35
Speaker 1: a little annoying the general manager, Chris Ballard that was
25:37
Speaker 1: asked about it, uh this week about when he could return,
25:41
Speaker 1: and he said, might be week one, might be week six.
25:44
Speaker 1: Hate that, thanks Brooks. Um, that's not the clarity that
25:49
Speaker 1: we were looking at back surgeries either. No, any anytime
25:53
Speaker 1: you're opening up the back, it's never good. So we're
25:57
Speaker 1: let me tell you medical degree up those backs. But yeah,
26:01
Speaker 1: something definitely to track with shack entard Um. But also,
26:07
Speaker 1: Bobby ok is not oky. It is pronounced Bobby Okayaka.
26:12
Speaker 1: So one of the other things that I learned from Indianapolis.
26:16
Speaker 1: Everyone make sure you don't mess that up this year.
26:19
Speaker 1: Like you know, Reggie Wayne is now the wide receiver coach.
26:24
Speaker 1: I know, I'm just gonna I'm a cult cheerleader now.
26:26
Speaker 1: I don't know if you know that. The pitmen call
26:28
Speaker 1: I like I'm wearing their colors. Yeah you are. The
26:31
Speaker 1: pitmen call I like, is he a wide receiver one?
26:34
Speaker 1: He's not right now, but he definitely has that potential.
26:36
Speaker 1: They do love their rookie wide receiver to Alec Pierce
26:39
Speaker 1: addis Cincinnati. He's fast, he's got great handsted. I move on.
26:44
Speaker 1: We are going to go to the spot that it's
26:46
Speaker 1: very weird. Um, I I don't know if this spot
26:52
Speaker 1: in the rankings is like a serial killer or just
26:54
Speaker 1: like you're really quiet neighbor that keeps to themselves. But
26:58
Speaker 1: number thirteen in the rankings, it's the Saints. Okay, Um,
27:03
Speaker 1: I don't think the Saints are serials, but I don't
27:05
Speaker 1: know who they are. And this is a part of
27:09
Speaker 1: a greater theme since I started doing power rankings. Um,
27:14
Speaker 1: the number thirteen team, it is the twilight zone of
27:19
Speaker 1: the power rankings. It is purgatory, it is the great unknown.
27:24
Speaker 1: You're imagine yourself an outer space and you're just floating
27:28
Speaker 1: and you see the Eagles MC square go past you,
27:31
Speaker 1: and then like a spinning dog or something, and then
27:34
Speaker 1: a flying saucer pizza. That's where we are with the
27:40
Speaker 1: number thirteen spot. When I don't know what to do
27:43
Speaker 1: with the team, when I don't know if they are
27:45
Speaker 1: a potential super Bowl contender or like a team that
27:48
Speaker 1: should be buried in the twenties, Like I'm just confused.
27:52
Speaker 1: I stick him at thirteen and don't think about it anymore.
27:55
Speaker 1: And that's because they have a really high ceiling, the Saints,
28:00
Speaker 1: and their defense is excellent. It's a loaded defense said,
28:04
Speaker 1: it's going to make plays and keep them in games.
28:08
Speaker 1: But can the offense be trusted? Can Jameis Winston be trusted?
28:11
Speaker 1: Can Michael Thomas be trusted to be Michael Thomas again?
28:14
Speaker 1: Can Alcamara average better than three points seven yards per carry?
28:19
Speaker 1: It's Chris Allobby, the guy that everyone says he is
28:21
Speaker 1: the summer when the game's count. Is the offensive line? Okay?
28:24
Speaker 1: With throut Armstead now blocking for two HIG questions And
28:30
Speaker 1: that's why it's a mysterious number thirteen for the Saints this.
28:34
Speaker 1: I just can't figure out the Saints either. I don't
28:38
Speaker 1: want to agree with you on this, but I do. Yeah,
28:41
Speaker 1: it's just get you in that field. I love it.
28:44
Speaker 1: Did you see the equals MC square? So I tried
28:47
Speaker 1: to block it out just that wasn't my bag in
28:50
Speaker 1: school at all. But it's a Severn Dolls head um.
28:58
Speaker 1: They see they are serial killers, as it turns out,
29:00
Speaker 1: the Saints, So we'll find out. It's gonna be fun
29:03
Speaker 1: to watch them be us it. Really they are the
29:06
Speaker 1: team I would say maybe Pittsburgh in the a f C.
29:09
Speaker 1: The highest ceiling, lowest floor. Okay, and Dennis Allen, how
29:13
Speaker 1: is he going to thank you? I didn't even bring
29:17
Speaker 1: up that. Literally, Sean Payton's not there anymore, and everyone's
29:21
Speaker 1: been like, I'll be fine, Jamis is still gonna sling it.
29:24
Speaker 1: Sean Payton was the face of that offense with Drew Brees,
29:27
Speaker 1: and now they're both gun You know who wishes they
29:29
Speaker 1: had Sean Payton? The Cowboys. Oh, they have taken els
29:34
Speaker 1: before the season even starts. Here at number fifteen, maybe
29:37
Speaker 1: they should be even lower in the rankings. I don't know.
29:40
Speaker 1: They have three new starters on the offensive that Steve
29:43
Speaker 1: Mariuchi hasn't have his face pressed against the glass pounding
29:46
Speaker 1: and staring at us right now. We need a mood camp.
29:52
Speaker 1: That would be great anyway, go on, So how was
29:55
Speaker 1: I supposed to see you take me out of the
29:57
Speaker 1: power chair. I can't say, yeah, my goodness, I like this.
30:00
Speaker 1: I like this, Dan, this, and you know what, you're right.
30:03
Speaker 1: This chair is magical. It has special characteristics to it.
30:07
Speaker 1: I don't know what it is, but it's like the
30:09
Speaker 1: number thirteen analysts here. You can't figure him out, you
30:12
Speaker 1: know what I mean. He's not a serial killer. Probably
30:15
Speaker 1: he's your nice neighbor. So the Cowboys fifteen got a
30:18
Speaker 1: lot of issues right now. Down two of their top
30:20
Speaker 1: three wide receivers from last season. They don't have a
30:23
Speaker 1: Marii Cooper. Michael Gallup's not going to play to start
30:25
Speaker 1: the season. Here, I'm not feeding into the never ending
30:29
Speaker 1: Cowboys hype train. I'm not sure you are either. No,
30:33
Speaker 1: And I know you don't like the way this is
30:36
Speaker 1: setting up right now. You like what Howie Rosemond is
30:38
Speaker 1: built in Philadelphia, Well, but you don't like that the Cowboys,
30:43
Speaker 1: who I think won like twelve games last year, are
30:46
Speaker 1: not even being discussed by the football cogness, aren't they.
30:49
Speaker 1: They're not as a team that could defend their division title.
30:54
Speaker 1: Everyone's just on the Eagles bandwagon. And I think with
30:58
Speaker 1: the power rankings with I have Philly fourteen. I have
31:01
Speaker 1: the Cowboys fifteen because I do think it's a coin flip.
31:03
Speaker 1: I have the because I think they have a little
31:05
Speaker 1: more upside, and I think the questions for Dallas, especially
31:08
Speaker 1: on their offensive line. I'm sorry, Jason Peters has been
31:11
Speaker 1: a great pro, but he's like I think, older than me.
31:15
Speaker 1: So that's a problem in our league. So it becomes
31:18
Speaker 1: a situation where I don't know if the offense is
31:22
Speaker 1: going to score enough points. I know the defense, but
31:24
Speaker 1: they were they were number one last year. Yeah, but
31:29
Speaker 1: it just feels a lot different right now. The Cooper trade.
31:31
Speaker 1: If they could take it back, I think they would.
31:33
Speaker 1: I don't know if maybe behind the scenes he had
31:35
Speaker 1: worn out his welcome, but a lot it's gonna be
31:38
Speaker 1: a lot of pressure on Ceedee Lamb to have that
31:40
Speaker 1: year we kind of expected last year. Yeah, and to
31:42
Speaker 1: be that number one wide receiver that's a totally needs
31:45
Speaker 1: to be a superstar this year. I think for this
31:47
Speaker 1: offense to go where it needs to go, and he
31:49
Speaker 1: certainly has that potential and he has the quarterback. But
31:53
Speaker 1: we cannot sleep on the weekend state of this offensive
31:56
Speaker 1: line and how that could affect everything. Mike McCarthy, head
32:00
Speaker 1: coach of the Cowboys, he slimmed down. How much did
32:03
Speaker 1: that factor into the ranking? You know, I'm Mike McCarthy.
32:06
Speaker 1: He's daddy to me. He's full of Zaddi mode. He's
32:09
Speaker 1: also under a remarkable amount of pressure, like he's the
32:12
Speaker 1: head coach that uh you know, he sits up high
32:15
Speaker 1: in the hot butt rankings and to the season. And
32:18
Speaker 1: you know, Sean Payton, the alt forrementioned Sean Payton. He
32:21
Speaker 1: wants that job and Sean Payton knows, and he's not
32:24
Speaker 1: gonna say it, but Sean Payton knows, like, Oh, as
32:26
Speaker 1: long as if they don't win a playoff game, I'm
32:30
Speaker 1: going to be the coach of the Cowboys. This is
32:31
Speaker 1: just my conjecture, but it's true. That's what's gonna happen.
32:34
Speaker 1: Cowboys need to get back to the plass and win
32:36
Speaker 1: a game or I don't know if Mike McCarthy's back. Well,
32:39
Speaker 1: we're going to be tracking Zaddy all season long, and
32:42
Speaker 1: um we'll see how getting into Daddy physical conditioning is
32:47
Speaker 1: something that you see coaches do in the summer, keeping
32:50
Speaker 1: the Zaddi figure during the long season check in December.
32:54
Speaker 1: I hope he does. Yeah, we're rooting for you, Mike McCarthy.
32:58
Speaker 1: You look good. Let's move to the second half rankings.
33:01
Speaker 1: We're talking about the Titans at seven team. Our producer
33:05
Speaker 1: Drew Christensen said they're the most boring team, most born
33:09
Speaker 1: good team in the NFL and they don't even crack
33:11
Speaker 1: the top half. Yeah, and Titans fans and I have
33:14
Speaker 1: a long, sordid history. They don't like me very much.
33:19
Speaker 1: But the herald Landry loss towards a C in practice
33:23
Speaker 1: last week. That's such a crushing loss. He is such
33:25
Speaker 1: a great, great player, uh and a great pass rusher
33:29
Speaker 1: and he kind of makes things go there with Jeffrey Simmons,
33:32
Speaker 1: So they that's gonna be a tough, tough thing to
33:34
Speaker 1: make up for. And of course their best wide receiver
33:37
Speaker 1: now A. J. Brown, plays for the Eagles, so that
33:40
Speaker 1: feels problematic, UM, but I don't. It might be unprecedented
33:44
Speaker 1: in power rankings history because for a number one seed
33:47
Speaker 1: in the a f C or in either conference to
33:49
Speaker 1: be this far down the power ring is to start
33:51
Speaker 1: the season. But they just seem like a team that's
33:55
Speaker 1: gonna it's gonna get into about ten wins. I think
33:57
Speaker 1: it's gonna be a real fight this year. I think
33:59
Speaker 1: your cults are the favorite. Your mentions are going to
34:02
Speaker 1: be a blaze for way longer than two days. It
34:04
Speaker 1: is with the Titans. I've been in the crosshairs of
34:08
Speaker 1: the Titans before and their fans. It's not a place
34:12
Speaker 1: that I would like to be back in. UM. They
34:14
Speaker 1: had a disastrous end of the season though, and when
34:17
Speaker 1: you think about the ending for the Colts and the Titans,
34:21
Speaker 1: it was bleak times for both of them to end one,
34:25
Speaker 1: and I just I don't love that they got rid
34:27
Speaker 1: of A. J. Brown. I love it for me personally
34:29
Speaker 1: since he's playing for but this I expect to step back. Um,
34:35
Speaker 1: that's why we're all gonna be wrong. Though, we're gonna
34:37
Speaker 1: be wrong. Watch what happens, because now I'm gonna say
34:39
Speaker 1: the other side of the coins, I think that's fair.
34:42
Speaker 1: Mike Rabel has done a really good job. Ryan Tannehill.
34:45
Speaker 1: People are down on him right now obviously because that
34:47
Speaker 1: playoff loss was you're not a good performance, uh in
34:51
Speaker 1: the Bengals game. But Derrick Henry's healthy interceptions in that one, Yeah,
34:55
Speaker 1: including the first and last passes of the game. It
34:57
Speaker 1: was just end one in the end zone. That was huge.
35:02
Speaker 1: But Derrick Henry's back. Um, this is a team that
35:05
Speaker 1: finds a way. It's a weak division, um, and I
35:09
Speaker 1: just think that if they are in contention in December,
35:12
Speaker 1: you can't be surprised. If they win the division again,
35:15
Speaker 1: you can't be surprised because I think they still have
35:18
Speaker 1: pieces in the building and they have a good coaching
35:20
Speaker 1: staff and they're the right place. I do like Robert
35:23
Speaker 1: Woods too. I think he's going to be now. He
35:25
Speaker 1: doesn't have the upside of a J. Brown. But he
35:29
Speaker 1: is like a great locker room guy and a really
35:31
Speaker 1: productive player, and I can see him in Tannehill having
35:34
Speaker 1: a good vibe. I'm excited to see the Titans and
35:37
Speaker 1: the Colts this year, these two teams, and they hate
35:40
Speaker 1: each other too, so that's an added level of pettiness
35:43
Speaker 1: that I also love. Okay, we have the best of
36:06
Speaker 1: the rest, and this a little bit quicker here, We're
36:09
Speaker 1: gonna do more rapid fire. I'm just gonna see you
36:11
Speaker 1: up on knees and then why don't we go back
36:12
Speaker 1: and forth? Maybe Okay, you want to do that, you
36:16
Speaker 1: don't want to do that. I could do that. Let's
36:18
Speaker 1: do it. Okay, let's try it out. We'll see how
36:20
Speaker 1: it goes. We can always not do it next week, alright.
36:23
Speaker 1: So yeah, we're gonna do this every week, I guess
36:25
Speaker 1: until it's canceled. The Dolphins nineteen only one spot up
36:29
Speaker 1: from the last power. I'm just I need to be
36:33
Speaker 1: sold on to uh. And I know that's kind of
36:35
Speaker 1: a boring thing to say, because a lot of people
36:37
Speaker 1: are saying, but I do. I mean, I've I've watched
36:39
Speaker 1: every one of his starts, and I know there have
36:41
Speaker 1: been good things about it, and I know they brought
36:43
Speaker 1: help in there obviously with Tyreek and Armstead at left tackle,
36:48
Speaker 1: but I just need to see it. I get this
36:51
Speaker 1: feeling that Teddy Bridgewater is going to play games this
36:53
Speaker 1: year to do with injury. I don't like that. Okay,
36:56
Speaker 1: that's why I'm not I'm not buying on the Dolphins yet,
36:58
Speaker 1: but I'm showing some respect. There's top twenty, Okay, that's fair.
37:01
Speaker 1: How about the Panthers. I haven't at twenty three too high?
37:04
Speaker 1: Too low? Do you think I am not sold on
37:07
Speaker 1: the Panthers. I think they're too high. I I don't.
37:10
Speaker 1: I I don't like the Baker Mayfield signing. I mean,
37:13
Speaker 1: I guess he's better than Sam Donald, but I don't
37:16
Speaker 1: know how much he's going to give to this offense.
37:19
Speaker 1: Like I want to see what Christian McCaffrey looks like
37:21
Speaker 1: and if he if he can stay healthy for an
37:23
Speaker 1: entire season. Matt Rule, I mean, we talk about pressure
37:27
Speaker 1: with Mike McCarthy. This guy's under the most pressure in
37:30
Speaker 1: the entire NFL. They have ten wins through two seasons,
37:34
Speaker 1: like it's and it just seems to not be getting
37:37
Speaker 1: better at all. I just have so many questions about
37:40
Speaker 1: the offensive line. How do you respond to the losses
37:43
Speaker 1: of Hassan Reddick and stuff on, Gilmore, Like, the list
37:46
Speaker 1: goes on and on and on. So for me, I
37:48
Speaker 1: would even rank them lower. Okay, but maybe not. The
37:53
Speaker 1: Christian McCaffrey is back. I I need to see how
37:56
Speaker 1: long he's going to be back. For I. I the trust,
37:59
Speaker 1: my trust. You have to earn it, and it's just
38:02
Speaker 1: you know, every year. That's fair. Come on. But I
38:05
Speaker 1: wouldn't rank them lower than the Seahawks seas I got him.
38:11
Speaker 1: You know, Russell Wilson is um gone right, I do
38:14
Speaker 1: at is not a good place. We're now in the
38:17
Speaker 1: that is the bottom quadrant. Yeah, like I I I
38:22
Speaker 1: guess there's a little bit of me saying in most
38:25
Speaker 1: cases in the Pete Carole era, they've they've gotten uh
38:29
Speaker 1: you know, they've either been in the playoffs and they've
38:31
Speaker 1: been in contention. Um. I think it was a mistake,
38:34
Speaker 1: obviously to trade Russell Wilson. I think it was a
38:37
Speaker 1: mistake to go into the season with Gino Smith and
38:40
Speaker 1: Drew Lock. But I think they're running game is going
38:42
Speaker 1: to be um a focus focal point. I thinks loving
38:46
Speaker 1: that and if Gino does find some success and get
38:50
Speaker 1: some confidence, he has dk Metcalf obviously um and Tyler Lockett,
38:55
Speaker 1: and those are two really good wide receivers. So throwing
38:58
Speaker 1: the clink or whatever it's called now in the home
39:00
Speaker 1: field advantage that comes with that, I think they could
39:02
Speaker 1: still win seven eight games. Yeah, I'm curious to see
39:05
Speaker 1: Kenneth Walker, their rookie running back, how he is. They
39:08
Speaker 1: have a lot of Listen, Penny was awesome at the
39:11
Speaker 1: end of last Again, though, like with McCaffrey's always hurt.
39:14
Speaker 1: So there there's a there's a window where this ends
39:17
Speaker 1: with them being competitive, but probably not one more. How
39:20
Speaker 1: about this bleak? Okay, we're doing another one or I
39:24
Speaker 1: think so. I think we just go right to power
39:25
Speaker 1: failure at this point because failure, well, let's let's take
39:30
Speaker 1: a look. We're learning all sorts of new things. It
39:34
Speaker 1: is week one power failure. Are the last teams the
39:38
Speaker 1: last tier? Is this a fault? So numbers five to
39:42
Speaker 1: thirty two? Do you have this as like a tear
39:45
Speaker 1: in your mind? Or is it break this up? Yeah?
39:48
Speaker 1: It's the final quadrant quadrant Okay, so quadro you don't
39:51
Speaker 1: want to be in um. But the Bengals. Look, last year,
39:55
Speaker 1: they were in the squadron, right, they were at thirty
39:58
Speaker 1: and listen and we could go back. There's receipts. That's
40:04
Speaker 1: the beauty of these power rankings. So this time a
40:07
Speaker 1: year ago, everybody was sleeping for the most part on
40:10
Speaker 1: the Bengals and then they shocked the world. So who
40:14
Speaker 1: is going to be the Bengals this year? I'm gonna say,
40:17
Speaker 1: and the Bengals that's once in a decade type stuff,
40:20
Speaker 1: going to the super Bowl and almost winning the things.
40:22
Speaker 1: I don't think there's gonna be a Bengals per se,
40:25
Speaker 1: but I think there is a team here that, in
40:27
Speaker 1: my mind, clearly we'll be seen as, oh wow, they
40:31
Speaker 1: took a big jump, and I'd love to say it
40:33
Speaker 1: was my Jets. And I think they could make a
40:35
Speaker 1: jump if they get decent quarterback play. But I'm just
40:37
Speaker 1: not convinced of that yet. But I will tell you
40:40
Speaker 1: the guy picked before Zack Wilson in the number one
40:44
Speaker 1: overall pick was Trevor Lawrence. And Trevor Lawrence walked into
40:48
Speaker 1: a nightmare situation with Urban Meyer, and we know that
40:51
Speaker 1: whole story. I don't need to go down that road.
40:53
Speaker 1: But now you spin forward, Doug Peterson's a pro, He's
40:56
Speaker 1: got a ring, He's a guy that people respect. Unlike
40:59
Speaker 1: Urban Meyer in the NFL, they pumped a lot of
41:02
Speaker 1: money into the roster to build it up. They got
41:05
Speaker 1: Trayvon Walker with the number one overall pick to juice
41:07
Speaker 1: the pass rush. And I think the idea of Trevor
41:12
Speaker 1: Lawrence taking a big step up in that division, the
41:16
Speaker 1: FC South, which I think is arguably the weakest division,
41:19
Speaker 1: maybe the NFC East is in that conversation. Um, you
41:23
Speaker 1: factor those two things together with an improved roster, I
41:26
Speaker 1: think this could be a team that's hanging around in
41:29
Speaker 1: the wild card hunt potentially and maybe even the division.
41:33
Speaker 1: This would be my team crazy Q the Colleen vott
41:37
Speaker 1: Um while Dan really great point Um the Jack unbelievable.
41:42
Speaker 1: I feel like we talk about teams that can jump
41:46
Speaker 1: from worst to first, and not that this is going
41:49
Speaker 1: to be a worst to first scenario, but teams that
41:51
Speaker 1: can turn around very quick. And it's sort of in
41:54
Speaker 1: the same vein as the Ravens with all of the
41:56
Speaker 1: injuries that they had last year, and just being healthy
41:59
Speaker 1: is going to mean so much to them and for
42:02
Speaker 1: the Jags you bring into Peterson, I mean, like Travis
42:06
Speaker 1: e t n getting him back healthy. I think a
42:08
Speaker 1: lot of people forgot about him. He's gonna make a
42:11
Speaker 1: huge impact. Do you see anybody else in this bottom
42:13
Speaker 1: quadrant that you can make a case for. I know
42:15
Speaker 1: some people like on around the NFL or higher on
42:18
Speaker 1: the Houston Texans as an example, the Texans maybe, um,
42:22
Speaker 1: but beyond that Lions, how about our Hard Knocks team,
42:24
Speaker 1: The Hard Knocks. By the way, the finale of the
42:26
Speaker 1: Hard Knocks podcast with me and Connie Fox up on Tuesday,
42:30
Speaker 1: so check that out. We have a big Tuesday. We
42:32
Speaker 1: have this show, we have around the NFL. We have
42:35
Speaker 1: Hard Knocks the finale, so we got a lockdown. Yeah,
42:40
Speaker 1: I would say maybe the Texans, but I like the
42:44
Speaker 1: Jags better than the Texans. Um and potentially the Lions too,
42:49
Speaker 1: just because of the Hard Knocks. Um angle that whole thing.
42:52
Speaker 1: I'm drinking all the kool aid there isn't that the
42:55
Speaker 1: fun thing? Though it is bottomless kool aid this time
42:58
Speaker 1: of year. Absolutely fine. It's it's I like it almost
43:01
Speaker 1: as much as I like Fight the Power, Fight the Power.
43:03
Speaker 1: We got all of the tweets coming through because Dan,
43:06
Speaker 1: since you're not going to look at your mentions, we
43:08
Speaker 1: will do it for you. That seems almost like a
43:11
Speaker 1: bullying maneuver. But because in this therapy session we will
43:18
Speaker 1: go through some things that might be triggering and we're
43:20
Speaker 1: gonna we're gonna talk through them. So let's let's get
43:23
Speaker 1: Jonathan up here. He's definitely not a bot, I promise. Okay,
43:27
Speaker 1: now do this for real? Like that was cool, fun exercise,
43:30
Speaker 1: But how about the real rankings? Idiot? Next? Oh I
43:35
Speaker 1: didn't like that, Jonathan. Okay, we got another one here,
43:38
Speaker 1: don't worry. Um we got the Bears at thirty two
43:43
Speaker 1: is one thing I'm not even going to discuss here.
43:45
Speaker 1: But the Niners as third, What the hell is juice? Alright?
43:48
Speaker 1: Raight heel, that's okay. I understand that, like we said
43:51
Speaker 1: at the top of the show, the Niners maybe more
43:53
Speaker 1: of a projection than Um then maybe I usually do
43:58
Speaker 1: with this type of exercise, But I just like the roster,
44:00
Speaker 1: and I trust Kyle Shannon and his ability to bring
44:03
Speaker 1: out Trey Lance. I've been doing a lot of deep
44:05
Speaker 1: dives on the Niners, and they are moving up my
44:08
Speaker 1: rankings like more and more every single day. So this
44:11
Speaker 1: is and by the way, the first guy called an
44:13
Speaker 1: idiot the second guy. All right, if you come at
44:16
Speaker 1: me with actual critiques that aren't just personal attacks, I
44:20
Speaker 1: will not return it. Okay, that's fine. How about this one.
44:23
Speaker 1: What do we what do we feel about this? Bobby Football?
44:26
Speaker 1: What a joke? Bias? Says all hell and I got
44:30
Speaker 1: people love to assume the worst with Carson Wentz. But
44:34
Speaker 1: to say Washington has twenty nine teams better than them
44:37
Speaker 1: in this league is gross. Alright gross, And I don't
44:42
Speaker 1: know where Bobby Football has the Washington commanders, who I
44:45
Speaker 1: know are getting ready to um, you know, take command.
44:48
Speaker 1: But uh, they just seem like a team, especially Chase
44:52
Speaker 1: Young on the shelf. And I, like many other people,
44:55
Speaker 1: I'm not sold on Wentz. Um. I will say in
44:58
Speaker 1: the positive with Washington, their skill players around Wentz are
45:02
Speaker 1: a little better than I think people re allies. Um,
45:05
Speaker 1: so they have a chance to score points. But I
45:07
Speaker 1: don't know. I just can't get into I can't get
45:10
Speaker 1: into the washing. That's fair. And I feel for Bobby
45:13
Speaker 1: Football and Washington fans because it's been a pretty rough
45:16
Speaker 1: road the last twenty years or so. Maybe they'd been
45:18
Speaker 1: easy that one more. Okay, here we go. We got brand.
45:24
Speaker 1: The new old Blue Eye strikes again. The truth go
45:28
Speaker 1: to the zoos. See, that's what we need every week. Brand.
45:32
Speaker 1: Thank you, my friend. I appreciate that it is not
45:36
Speaker 1: the power rankings, Connie. The thing that I've learned in
45:39
Speaker 1: doing this you can't take you can't take yourself too seriously.
45:42
Speaker 1: You can't. You do the work, you watch the games,
45:44
Speaker 1: you try to do your best with the analysis, but
45:47
Speaker 1: ultimately it's a total it's a total guess. I guess what.
45:52
Speaker 1: I don't have a machine in my boudoir. I'm just
45:54
Speaker 1: going to feelings. It's a gut feeling on these teams,
45:58
Speaker 1: and it's gonna be change a lot, even by the
46:00
Speaker 1: end of this month. And I can't wait. Dan, really
46:03
Speaker 1: good work. We've done work today. We've gone through a
46:07
Speaker 1: lot of stuff and this is the perfect I would say,
46:10
Speaker 1: I would give it a solid being, you know, solid be.
46:13
Speaker 1: This was our first time doing the show. But don't
46:16
Speaker 1: worry because we think that we will be back next
46:19
Speaker 1: week for another edition. Should we tell the people that
46:22
Speaker 1: obviously you know like and subscribe it, watch it anywhere
46:26
Speaker 1: you can listen and you can watch That's the beauty
46:29
Speaker 1: of it because it's also a digital show, so if
46:31
Speaker 1: you want to see our mugs, check it out online.
46:34
Speaker 1: Until next time, everybody, we'll see you for next week
46:37
Speaker 1: Power Rankings. Wait do NFL Power Rankings as a production
46:52
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